


In the Shadow of Your Heart

by nelly06061



Category: Black Widow (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alcohol, Avengers Tower, Crushes, Domestic Avengers, Drink, F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, Love, Party
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-11
Updated: 2019-04-11
Packaged: 2020-01-11 19:49:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18430907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nelly06061/pseuds/nelly06061
Summary: Another party, but you and natasha both have secrets. What will the chance for drinking and encouragement from friends start?





	In the Shadow of Your Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much to my amazing friend for giving me the prompt and encouraging me to post this and all her enthusiasm, it means the world to me.   
> If you want to give me prompts or feedback my tumblr is @natalia-alianovna-bw   
> Disclaimer: I own nothing and no one in this fic and it is all fictional  
> Thank you to florence welch for the title!

you had known the avengers a while now, being one of the main coordinators for missions, and had made fast friends with many of the team. it was for that reason tony had invited you to quite a small, intimate party he was hosting in the tower, for only close team members and their plus ones.

you had accepted the offer of course, it wasn’t the first time even you had been to a party like this with them. you felt lucky the team had welcomed you so warmly, you were one of the only people that was not an avenger in their close car ircle. and that certainly had its benefits; you had amazing friends who could always cheer you up and have a laugh, or help you when you were down. however, there was one disadvantage. you had a major crush on natasha, and there was nothing you could do about it.

she was famed for her beauty, of course. she had stunning, piercing eyes, and red hair that took your breath away whenever you saw her, and the way she carried herself with such grace, the way she moved as if every movement was calculated exactly, whilst being completely effortless, these were all making you fall for her. you wanted nothing more than to call her yours, to wake up next to her and stare into her forest green eyes, for her to hug you and keep you warm, and tell you she would protect you forever.

but this was only to remain a fantasy in your head, and, you told yourself, you had made your peace with that.

you thought about this as you got ready for the party, but soon enough managed to push the thoughts of her out of your head, telling yourself to focus on the real world. you picked out a small black dress, tighter and shorter than you would normally wear around the avengers, but you wore it for no other reason that you had only worn it a few times since buying it and due to its cost wanted to wear it a few times more. after completing the look with some heels, and finishing your hair and makeup, you hailed a cab and rode over to the tower.

 

natasha was staring out the window, ready and waiting for the party to start. she was good at controlling her thoughts generally, but too often these days she found herself thinking of you, and feeling emotions that honestly made her scared. she knew that she thought you were beautiful, but other feelings that stirred in her stomach when she saw you made her anxious.

she noticed straight away when clint made his way in to her room, not bothering to knock on her door. she just carried on staring out the window to the new york skyline, confusion pulling your brows down.

‘you ready, nat?’ clint asked her, nudging her.

‘yeah.’ she responded, abondoning her thoughts and turning round to look at him. ‘new suit?’

he nodded. ‘you look nice. new dress?’ he asked in return.

‘no’ natasha shrugged. ‘just one i normally reserve for missions of a certain nature’ she explained, knowing clint would understand. the dress was red and tight, showing off the curves of her body perfectly.

‘why tonight then?’ clint chuckled. ‘secret mission?’ he added with a wink, grinning mischievously.

‘no’ she replied again, evasively. because now she thought about it, she didn’t know why she had worn that dress.

‘no one you want to impress....?’ clint continued to tease her, going to poke her side but she grabbed his hand and twisted it away a little more forcefully than she needed to.

‘no’ she huffed, standing up to her full height, which wasn’t that tall really, but still managed to have a satisfactory effect on people. unfortunately this did not include clint.

‘fine. but let me say this, nat’ he said, his tone growing more serious. ‘if there was say, someone, you liked, i’d reckon there’s a good chance they’d like you back. and you and this person would just be wasting time playing these games of dress up. so if you like someone, go for it.’ he advised.

natasha kept a poker face whilst he spoke, but inside she was whirring. had she worn this to impress you? were these feelings of ‘liking’ someone? and did you like her back?

‘i think the last thing i need is relationship advice, but thanks clint’ she played it off cooly, in a way that annoyed clint as he couldn’t tell if she was lying or not. ‘let’s go.’ she decided instead, and they walked up to the party together, in a silence that wasn’t quite tense, but not comfortable either.

 

you had arrived at the party early, but you weren’t too bothered and wasted no time in grabbing a drink and beginning to make merry with whoever was there already. you were talking with wanda when natasha and clint walked in, and you both glanced up out of interest to see who was arriving.

you were taken aback with how beautiful she looked that night, the dress making her flawless body stand out. she moved with confidence, as if she owned the dress and the floor too.

wanda let out a low breath. ‘sometimes that woman makes me wish i were gay. i would so fall in love with her.’ she whispered to you, causing you to laugh.

‘you’re telling that to a gay woman’ you chuckled, as an offhand comment, but she immediately noticed it.

‘you like her!’ wanda gasped, pointing at you.

‘shush!’ you hissed, blushing profusely, it being too late to deny it now.

‘you’re a dark horse!’ wanda whispered to you, still in shock. ‘you have to do something. you have the perfect chance. you look stunning tonight, y/n. go get her.’

you were shaking your head quickly. ‘i can’t. it would ruin everything.’ you told wanda, and also yourself.

‘it wouldn’t, because she likes you too. it all makes sense now, she’s been flirting with you too, think about it.’ wanda realised, and you thought about past incidents where natasha has caused you to blush, realising too that wanda was right.

‘damn it’ you muttered. you knew you should have been over the moon with joy and excitement to make a move, but now it was so real it was so much more scary. you could feel wandas eyes on you though and knew you had to do something before she made you, so you downed the rest of your drink and stood up.

‘i’m gonna get another round’ you said, but wanda winked at you before you walked over to the bar, taking care not to trip in your heels.

 

you reached the bar at just the same time as natasha, and clint silently and almost unnoticeably drifted off, leaving the two of you alone.

‘what can i get for you?’ natasha offered as she went behind the bar to grab her own drink.

you held up your bottle of cider that you had already finished. ‘another of this, please’ you smiled, somehow successfully keeping your cool.

natasha nodded and grabbed it, pouring herself a cocktail that looked intoxicatingly strong.

‘and one of what you’re having.’ you added before you could stop yourself.

‘okay...’ she chuckled, but made you one too. she slid it over the bar to you with a raised eyebrow. ‘i don’t know if you’ll like it.’

you hummed and nodded at what she said, the way she was leaning over the bar distracting you, something that didn’t go unnoticed by natasha, but for your benefit she didn’t mention it and moved to sit in one of the bar stools, and you naturally sat in the one next to her. she picked up her cocktail glass and you followed, clinking them together with a giggle. you had a sip and she was right, it was certainly strong, but there was also other tastes in there that you liked, so in another unexplainable move you downed the whole thing, again before you could stop yourself.

‘woah,’ natasha laughed, taking only a small sip of hers. but the way she laughed and chuckled was not patronising as it could have been, only friendly, as if she was laughing with you and not at you.

‘you look stunning tonight.’ you commented, slightly embarrassed and trying to regain control of your actions. you didn’t say it to flirt, only as one friend would compliment another, but when natasha replied it was clear she had different intentions.

‘so do you. that dress hugs you perfectly.’

you blushed and looked away, the tone and suggestion in her voice clear.

‘it’s quite new, i got it in a sale....’ you lied, changing the subject.

 

hours passed as you both chatted away pleasantly, as you had done many times before, but both of you would have had to have admitted something felt a little different this time. at some point you had moved over to a couch in a corner, a bit away from the noise of the others. you noticed natasha shuffle closer to you, and sometimes you noticed yourself shuffling closer to her.

what definitely caught your attention, was when in the middle of you recounting a tale about a school trip from when you were younger, she casually placed a hand on your thigh. you were unable to stop yourself from halting and glancing down at her hand, and back up at her uncertainly.

‘i’m sorry’ natasha said, quickly removing her hand, worried she had read the signals wrong and immediately planning of ways to get revenge on clint for encouraging her.

‘no!’ you panicked. ‘it’s okay.’ you tried to reassure her, and in a brave move you reached your arm out and gently grabbed her hand, replacing it on your thigh.

natasha still seemed unsure but let you, and unusually, you could see the concern in her eyes.

‘we erm...’ you started, before clearing your throat and starting again. ‘im okay, with this’ you gestured to your closeness. ‘in fact, it’s something i’d like’ you added shyly, blushing once again.

‘really? but -‘ natasha began to speak, and in a complete role reversal you became the confident one and shushed her.

‘no buts. just, would you like this too?’ you said, asking the most direct way you could.

natasha looked at you in the eyes, hers being open and honest, and nodded. ‘yes. i would like this. us. you.’ she said, regaining her confidence, and authority, almost.

‘id like you too’ you whispered, both moving closer to each other in a way that seemed so natural even though this was the first time. you maintained eye contact, but it wasn’t tense, it felt light, and you believed in her. so with this confidence, you closed the gap between your lips and kissed her.

you intention was for it to be chaste and quick, but she chased your lips when you tried to pull away, lingering. her lips were soft and full, and absolutely beautiful to kiss. eventually she moved back, and you were hyperaware of every movement, her hand still on your thigh a strong reminder of what was happening.

you wanted to be confident still, and perhaps put your hand on her too, but you were sobering up and growing nervous again. natasha noticed this and wouldn’t allow it, not wanting to lose you before she even had you.

so, she leaned forward again and kissed you, more meaningful and passionate this time, but without being rushed and forceful.

she was all you could focus on, until a whistle that was distinctly tony’s broke through to the remaining functioning part of your brain.

‘shit’ you gasped, pulling back and breaking the kiss, panting.

natasha was concerned, not wanting them to panic you and put you off. she knew you were a shy and quiet person usually, and didn’t often seek attention. you had been bold tonight and she admired that, but it was still unusual behaviour for you.

‘do you still want this?’ she checked, saying it so low that only you could hear, but glaring at the growing crowd of onlookers as she did.

you nodded timidly, and that was all she needed. she had a plan to make you stay.

she suddenly moved so she was straddling you on the sofa, in such a way that you couldn’t see the others watching.

‘don’t worry about them.’ she whispered quickly, before kissing you again, wasting no time in pushing past your lips, making this kiss hot and deep.

her plan had worked on you, and whilst you were still anxious about this clear public display, natasha’s confidence and rule was all you needed. you just focused on her and the kiss, the sensation of your bodies pressed together driving you wild.

when you both needed to breathe, natasha finally leaned back, grinning wildly at you. you panted and grinned back, even whilst you heard whistling and applause from the avengers.

‘i can scare them off’ natasha offered, a glint in her eyes.

for some reason though, being in public now made it more exciting and real. your new found confidence returned and you shook your head.

‘i don’t care’ you smirked, before taking both of you by surprise and pulling her down to kiss her again.

this had really been quite the party.


End file.
